NOCTURNE

Age Range: 12 & up

In this follow-up to Claire de Lune (2010), a teen everygirl turned werewolf is torn between her newfound role as a member in a pack of the centuries-old loup-garou and her friends in the human world.

Struggling to conceal the secret, Claire feels the strain in her relationships with her boyfriend and best friend and is eventually commanded by her mother, the pack leader, to carry out a grisly task to prevent exposure. Her inner turmoil drives the novel, and the third-person narration nicely sketches in the details of her character—particularly evocative are the vivid descriptions of sensory experiences when she is in wolf-form. Also appealing is that gossip and school dances take on a realistic level of all-consuming importance for Claire and her peers, even as she leads another life as a supernatural creature. However, while many readers may be satisfied with the happy ending, it may feel too contrived for others. This may be especially the case if they have read the earlier installment and see that abrupt resolution of conflict seems to be a common thread in what looks to be the beginning of a series that needs to be read successively.

In the end, this light supernatural romance may not stand out in this now-ubiquitous genre, but it is a solid story with an undeniably likable heroine. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)